1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus for mounting a sheet-like recording material on the outer peripheral surface of a drum to record images on the recording material.
2. Description of the Background Art
Imaging apparatuses have been used for recording images on various types of recording materials with irradiation of laser light. In a drum-type imaging apparatus, a recording material is mounted on a recording drum rotatable in a main scanning direction, and a recording head having a laser diode and the like moves in a subscanning direction parallel to a rotary shaft of the recording drum to record images on the recording material.
In such drum-type imaging apparatus, the leading and trailing edges of the recording material are clamped by clamps under pressure, so that the recording material is mounted around the drum.
Further, in such apparatus, the recording material is mounted on the drum and demounted from the drum under pressure from a squeegee roller.
In such conventional apparatus, a recording drum is rotated with the leading edge of a recording material clamped by clamps such that the recording material is consecutively mounted on the recording drum. At this time, a problem arises in that the clamps clamping the leading edge of the recording material interfere with a squeegee roller. To prevent this problem, the recording drum is temporarily stopped rotating at the mounting of the recording material on the drum, following which the squeegee roller is retracted to such a position that it does not interfere with the clamps, and thereafter, rotation of the recording drum is started again. However, another problem arises in that such operation increases the time period required for mounting the recording material. A similar problem also arises when the recording material is demounted from the recording drum.